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I bend to grab her bag at the same time she does. Her breath catches. Lex steps back with wide eyes. I stare at her. Hair from her bun falls around her face, and her cheeks are pink.
“I didn’t mean to. Here you go.” I hand over her bag.
“Thanks.” She turns to the door, locking it with the key in her hand.
“Did you just finish up now?”
“Yeah, the last class ended about fifteen minutes ago.”
“Do you teach them all?” My hands sneak into my pockets as I take her in. She’s wearing jeans and an oversized sweater. Her face is clean of any makeup, giving me a full view of her natural beauty.
“No, I have someone who teaches tap. I’m the ballet and jazz instructor.”
“That’s great.” Silence stretches between us.
“Anyway, I gotta go.” She breaks the awkwardness.
“Oh, yeah. Want me to walk you?”
Lex’s eyebrows pull together.
“Just a friendly offer so you don’t have to walk alone. These aren’t the mean streets of a big city, but you can never be too careful.” I lift my hands in mock surrender. I’m pushing my luck, but somehow I’m willing to see how far she’ll let me go.
“No thanks, I drove.” She points behind me, where I see a car parked on the street.
“Oh, great. I guess let me know when you’ve looked into the information about the resort. We should get that finalized so we can plan the rest of the trip.” I’m stalling, not wanting her to leave yet.
Being in her presence makes me feel like Hercules, full of power and invincible. But even Hercules was defeated, ironically, as a consequence of love.
Lex sighs and shakes her head. “I’ll look into it later tonight. I’ve taught four dance classes and dealt with parents. I’m tired and in need of a shower, Hudson. I doubt you’re going to call your friend in the next two hours and tell him to book the suites.” She steps around me. Her eyes reflect more than tiredness. I suspect I’m to blame for whatever emotion it is.
Maybe Tristan is right, and she’s still hurt over everything that happened.
“Yeah, of course. I told him we’d give him a response one way or another by Friday. It shouldn’t be too difficult of a decision. I personally think it’s the best option, but everyone has to be on board.”
“Exactly. I’ll let you know tomorrow, then. Let me crunch some numbers and text the girls to get their input. It doesn’t depend solely on me.” She opens the passenger door and drops her bag on the seat.
“Sounds good. Talk to you then.” I smirk.
Lex shakes her head and frowns. “Goodnight.”
“Night, Lex.” I watch her slide into her seat and drive away.
No matter how much time has passed, she’s always owned a piece of my heart. Her beauty is part of it, but it’s her, everything about her, that always captivated me. Despite the way my parents treated her, she was always by my side, cheering me on during football games, helping me study for exams, and sharing every piece of herself with me.
It should be us planning our wedding. Instead, she’s barely tolerating me while I try to figure out what’s going on between my head and heart.
I walk back to the inn to do some work. I may be in Hartville for some time, but I still need to close deals, or my father will get on my case. I can easily ignore him being six hours away. I can’t do that when I’m staying in the same town. He’s adamant I close that LA mansion, which means I’ll have to travel to the West Coast soon.
Tristan’s advice rings in my ears. Is this what I want? Am I fulfilled with the work I do? I don’t have the same passion I heard him talk about, but I’ve never given thought to anything else. The money I’ve made could allow me to take some time to figure out what I want to do, but not with the living expense of New York City.
When I agreed to come to Hartville for Toby’s engagement party, I didn’t think I’d find myself questioning everything I’ve built for myself. The last few years have given me a chance to mature, though, and now I feel like I have the opportunity to rewrite the past. Starting with Lex.
Could we go back to what we had? I’m not sure we’re the same people. We’ve hurt each other, grown up separately. We could very well not have anything in common anymore, too much time between us. However, a nagging continues to pull me in her direction, seeking her. I owe it to myself to see it through, even if she rejects me. Even if it’s impossible to time travel to the past in order to change the present.
What I do know is that seeing her again has sparked light into my life. It’s given me a different purpose and reminded me of who I was before fancy suits and business meetings.
